Comparative Analysis of Diagnostic Methods in the Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis Infections among Female Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan known to cause sexually transmitted infection across sexes but women tend to be symptomatic thereby leading to premature labour, low birth weight, and post-abortion or post-hysterectomy infection among pregnant women. The organism demonstrates a wobbling and rotating motion under the microscope. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of the Giemsa staining technique and Direct wet mount technique for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection against the gold standard culture method. Materials and Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study of two hundred (200) sexually active females in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps who presented to the clinics with vaginal discharge. Clients were recruited consecutively until the number required was obtained from each camp. High vaginal swab samples were collected and processed using Giemsa staining, Direct wet mount, and Culture in OXOID Trichomonas broth. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of 200 samples examined, the culture method identified 41 positive samples. Giemsa staining method had 32 true positives with 9 false negatives and 3 false positives as compared to the culture method. Conversely, the Direct wet mount technique observed 33 positives out of which 28 were true positives and 5 false positives as they were negative by the Culture method. Giemsa staining technique had a sensitivity of 78.1% and specificity of 98.2%. The positive and negative predictive values of the Giemsa staining were 91.4% and 94.6% respectively. The Direct wet mount technique had a sensitivity of 68.3%, specificity of 97.0%, positive predictive value of 84.9%, and negative predictive value of 68.3%. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that Giemsa staining technique performed well and showed a high sensitivity than the Direct wet mount in the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis and as such recommended for use in absence of the culture method.